I recently took a quilting class with one of my sisters. Our back-and-forth soft sister chatter while being shown a new technique set the tone for the morning. And oh, what a delightful morning it was!
She and I are creative opposites. I thrive under the security of diagrams and she shines when following her own artistic explorations. We challenge each other!
Rubbing shoulders with her creative genius has awakened a fresh quilt design in me. I want to combine my maternal grandmother’s quaint, and embroidered linens with new and vibrant floral print fabrics. This new quilt’s centering theme will be a blooming cottage garden of mixed hand-me-down perennials and budding annuals, just like the same juxtaposition of the old, hand-me-down linens and new print fabric swatches.
This pairing reminds me of what the metaphysical part of me looks like. I visualize my spiritual curiosity like a burgeoning quilt pattern. It’s foolishness to make a quilt out of spiritual bits and pieces without a centralizing theme, or to allow my joy of learning new teachings to completely replace my love for my own tried and true spiritual legacy. I thrive when stitching together a combination of old and new.
My spiritual curiosity and admiration of pieces of other faith disciplines stretches me. I respect the inclusiveness of Hinduism, the prayer discipline of Islam, the academic discourse of Judaism, and the seeming tranquility of Buddhism. Such respect for and embracing of revered practices does not weaken my Christian core, but instead, opens my arms to embrace the creative Divine capacity in us all.
God’s image is one of love. If our faith, no matter which disciplines we practice, is not about love, then it’s not of God.
What spiritual creativity brings you closer to God?
He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.